ccepting a joint debate at one prominent point in each Congressional district save the two already covered. The rules were that one man should speak for an hour, and the other would reply for an hour and a half, with the first then concluding with a half-hour rebuttal. Douglas was the challenged party and seized the advantage of four of the seven openings. The arrangement was seen as sensible. Lincoln was supposedly also receiving benefits by being on the platform with the more famous Douglas, and partisans of Douglas believed that Lincoln could not attract such huge crowds if he did not have Douglas by his side. Douglas, however, saw in Lincoln a strong opponent and believed that this undertaking was of great importance (Nevins 374-375).
These debates took place at a time of great national concern and involved weighty matters, including the issue of slavery. Some political commentators look back to this era as one in which politics was somehow more "pure" and less laden with the sort of imagery these contests have today, but in truth the ceremonial aspect was always high:
Political campaigns were among the most exciting events in the early mid-West. To the pioneering folk they were even more exciting than quilting bees, corn huskings, house raisings, wrestling matches, horse races, dances and fairs, which provided amusement and interest in those days. . . A campaign might be a grim battle for high stakes to the contestants, but it was a thrill and the greatest of spectacles to the voters (Sigelschiffer 172).
Still, these debates involved real substance, and by all accounts the candidates battled over the issues in a way that brought out their views and defined them and their positions. The people who were present and the people who could read about the debates the next day were all served with arguments on the issues, arguments they could digest and by which they could judge.
Political parties are not mention...